The present invention relates to vehicular mirrors for busses, including school busses, trucks, or the like and, more particularly, to busses in which both so-called xe2x80x9ccross viewxe2x80x9d and rear view mirrors are desired.
Busses, for example, school busses, require both cross view and rear view mirror assemblies. Cross view mirror assemblies typically include elliptical convex mirrors and are typically disposed forward of a front-most portion of a bus such that the driver may view an area forward and in front of the bus. This enables the driver to see, for example, children passing in front of, or otherwise located in front of, the bus. Thus, the driver may avoid injuring the child. Cross view mirror assemblies typically employ convex mirrors.
Rear view mirror assemblies are typically disposed at a side of a school bus such that the driver may view areas alongside and rearward of the bus. Side view mirror assemblies may employ combinations of flat and convex mirrors. Such assemblies typically employ one flat mirror and one convex mirror, where the convex mirror is mounted below the flat mirror.
Typically, rear view mirror assemblies have-been provided separately, independently of and in a position spaced away from cross view mirror assemblies. Often, rear view mirror assemblies are located closer to the driver along the sides of the vehicle. In contrast, cross view assemblies are typically located more forward, in a position that facilitates supporting cross view mirrors so that they can xe2x80x9clookxe2x80x9d forward, in front of the vehicle. This has resulted in a more costly arrangement in that each type of mirror assembly has required its own mounting bracketry e.g. arms, support rods, mirror poles, etc. The prior art arrangement is also more likely to create greater aerodynamic resistence. A further consideration is the potential for driver confusion when there are more mirrors which are located in many different spots over the vehicle body, whereby in an emergency a driver may become temporarily confused or disoriented leading to possible serious errors in judgement.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a mirror assembly, particularly for school busses, which avoids the aforementioned and other drawbacks of the prior art.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an integrated mirror assembly unit which incorporates both rear view and cross view mirrors.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide mirror assemblies for vehicles which are more aerodynamically constructed.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a composite assembly which supports both cross view and rear view mirrors in a more esthetically designed package that conveys an three mirrors.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide an integrated housing for holding rear view and cross-view mirrors in a manner that allows each of the mirrors to be independently adjustable, even three-dimensionallyxe2x80x94at least in the case of the cross view mirror.
The foregoing and other objects of the invention are realized by a mirror assembly constituted of a shell housing made of one or more (preferably two) parts or sections and supporting a plurality of mirrors including a substantially flat first rear view mirror, an intermediately convex, second rear view mirror and a third, radically convex mirror serving as a cross view mirror.
The two sub-shells or sections of the shell housing are preferably connected by a pin, which allows the cross view mirror to rotate about a vertical axis, even while the other rear view mirrors remain stationary. Preferably, the shell housing sections are such that the part which supports the cross view mirror can be aligned with the part that supports the rear view mirrors and has substantially the same build and shape as viewed from the front and the sides thereof as to suggest to an observer that there is a single housing. Preferably, the entire shell housing is suspended from a single horizontally moveable arm which is pivotally connected to the vehicle.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the invention which refers to the accompanying drawings.